PRCA AND CSC COLLEGE BULL RIDING CHAMPION DUSTIN ELLIOT RETIRES

Posted 2 years ago

By Post Staff

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Dustin Elliott, the 2004 world champion bull rider and a four-time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, announced on May 16 that he was retiring from a career in ProRodeo that “was so much more than I ever expected.”

Elliott joined the PRCA in 2001 – the same year he won the College National Finals bull riding championship for Chadron (Neb.) State – and remained one of the sport’s elite competitors for more than a dozen years with career earnings of $719,330.

At the time of his retirement, Elliott was 27th in the world standings and within striking distance of a fifth Wrangler NFR berth; in addition to his gold buckle season, he qualified in 2005, 2006 and 2010.

“I’ve always told myself there will be a day I wake up and not want to ride anymore, and that day was April 10th,” Elliott wrote on a Facebook post Thursday morning. “I’ve thought about it for a month, and the drive just isn’t there like it used to be. I have other endeavors I’d like to embark on. I will stay involved in the sport in some way or another, and that door is open.

“My career was so much more than I ever expected as a kid (growing up in John Day) Oregon. I accomplished almost every goal I ever set.”

Elliott lives in North Platte, Neb., with his wife, Cynthia, and their twins, Ethan and Emma.